removable clothesline

ABSTRACT

There is a removable clothesline which has at least two arms with respective waH plates for fixing to a support wall. The arms have outer free ends and inner base sections which in use of the clothesline removably engage the wall plates in a manner whereby the arms extend from the support wall at spaced apart locations to deploy at least one clothesline cord therebetween. The arms upon removal being adapted for placement in a side-by-side storage configuration with the free end of at least one of said arms locating in an aperture in the inner base section of another of said arms.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a portable clothesline, more particularly, although not exclusively, it discloses an improved removable clothesline for use in travelling vehicles or for confined spaces around the home.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Owners of recreational vehicles, caravans, motor homes, house boats or the like are limited in their choice of clotheslines of suitable capacity that can be used while on holiday. This invention has been devised to provide a portable clothesline which can be quickly attached to most mobile vehicles when stationary and then easily removed and stored when the journey continues. Finding a suitable sub-structure to anchor any clothesline of suitable capacity is difficult on these vehicles due to the non-consistent measurement between support members. It is an object of this invention to overcome this problem by providing a means of making a clothesline any length to suit sub-structure parameters.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothesline for compact or congested areas in tenements such as in laundries, balconies, garages or entertaining areas where the removal of a clothesline when not in use would do much for the ambiance of its surroundings. A clothesline according to the invention also provides a means for storage flat against the wall for the convenience of passing traffic while not in use. Further, while sub-structure parameters may restrict the installation of prior art clothesline types due to their fixed length this problem is overcome by clotheslines according to the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A removable clothesline is disclosed having at least two arms with respective wall plates for fixing said structure to a support wall, said arms having outer free ends and inner base sections which in use of the clothesline structure removably engage said wall plates in a manner whereby the arms extend from said support wall at spaced apart locations to deploy at least one clothesline cord therebetween and said arms upon removal being adapted for storage in a close space-saving parallel configuration with the free end of at least one of said arms locating in an aperture in the inner base section of another of said arms.

Preferably said wall plates are adapted for permanent installation onto a support surface of the mobile vehicle or building. The wall plates facilitate the engaging of base sections of respective extension arms which anchor the clothesline cord.

It is further preferred that at least one spreader bar is then clipped between said extension arms to keep the clothesline cord taut.

It is further preferred that on initial set up the wall plates are positioned and installed onto the support surface at a point where there is a sub-structure framework or solid surface to fix on to. The base sections of the extension arms are then engaged onto the wall plates, the distance between the said extension arms measured, the spreader bar cut to measured length and then clipped between and onto said extension arms. The clothesline cord is anchored onto the extension arms to complete the initial assembly.

When the clothesline is not in use or prior to transit, it can be removed by unclipping the spreader bar off the extension arms, disengaging the said extension arms from the wall plates, inverting said extension arms to lock into each other and then wrapping the clothesline cord around juxtaposed extension arms. The said disengaged compacted extension arm/cord assembly can then be stowed away or placed in a carry bag or container for storage. Setting up the clothesline assembly is achieved by following the method in reverse order of removal instructions previously described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To assist with the understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings that show one currently preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of main parts relating to a clothesline according to said invention,

FIG. 2 shows the assembled clothesline of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a preferred method of clothesline cord attachment to the extension arms,

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a perspective front and back views of the support section with tapered slot.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the wall plate in its currently preferred form,

FIG. 5 shows a partially cross-sectioned side view of the spreader bar in its currently preferred form,

FIG. 6 shows a side view of an extension arm installed in the wall plate in its outward position,

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the extension arm hung on a wall plate in its stored position against the support surface,

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the removed extension arms with the line wrapped around them in the clotheslines stored position for means of travel or other reasons,

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the removed extension arms with the line wrapped around them in an optional stored position of the clothesline against the support surface, and

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the wall plate on a support surface when the extension arms of the clothesline have been removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 6, the clothesline may comprise of a pair of extension arms 1 with support sections 2, wall plates 3, a plurality of clothesline cords 4 and a spreader bar 5. With this particular embodiment the extension arms and spreader bars are made from steel tube, the support section is made of moulded glass filled nylon and the wall plate is of pressed sheet metal. The clothesline cord used is standard clothesline cord. With all the aforementioned components, other alternative materials may be used within the scope of this invention. Each wall plate 3 contains holes 6 to receive mechanical fasteners such as screws, bolts of the like for fixing to a support surface 7 or other suitable surface at horizontally spaced apart positions. In deployment of the clothesline to its outwardly extended position tapered slots 8 in the back of the extension arm support sections 2 facilitate their location and alignment into mating tapered protrusions 9 formed on the wall plates 3. By virtue of these tapered slots the weight of the extension arms 1 in the wall plates 3 locks them in the extended position shown against vertical displacement so that a plurality of clothesline cords 4 are drawn out between. Preferably the slots 8 have a double taper whereby the support sections 2 are not only held against said vertical displacement but are also clamped securely back against the support surface 7. The spreader bar 5 is attached between the extension arms 1 at the extremities 10 by means of saddle plugs 11 to maintain cord tension under load. The spreader bar length can be adjusted to suit the site parameters by removing one of the saddle plugs 11 from an end of the spreader bar 5, cutting said bar section to the required length and then reinserting the saddle plug 11. Turning in screw 12 to expand the saddle plug insert 13 then completes the reassembly of the bar.

The currently preferred method of securing the clothesline cord 4 to the extension arms 1 is by means of clamp plates 13 and screws 14 as shown in FIG. 3. The clothesline cord is wrapped around the screw 14 under the clamp plate 13 and the screw 14 is then tightened as required to anchor the clothesline cordagainst the weight of the clothing hung off it. Other methods of clothesline cord connection may also be utilised within the scope of this invention.

If required, when the clothesline is not in use, the extended clothesline assembly can be lifted off the wall plate protrusions 9 and rotated vertically through 90 degrees so as to place vertically against the support surface 7. A niche 15 in a support section 2 is then positioned on a hook 16 formed on the top of a wall plate 3 as shown in FIG. 7.

When the clothesline needs to be removed for travelling or other reasons, it can be packed away in the following manner. The spreader bar 5 is removed from the extension arms 1 by unclipping the saddle plugs 11. The spreader bar which is preferably in segments 17 and 18 for convenience is broken at 19 into smaller lengths for ease of storage. Each extension arm 1 is then lifted out of its wall plate 3 and rotated to align the arm ends in opposite directions and nest them into recesses in the the extension support sections 2 as shown in FIG. 8. The clothesline cords 4 are wrapped around the juxtaposed extension arms and the whole assembly can then be stored away in a box or bag until the clothesline is required again.

FIG. 5 shows the currently preferred method of joining the spreader bar segments 17 and 18 using a joiner section 20 which is fixed in one spreader bar segment 17 and is a sliding fit in the other segment 18.

The spreader bar may be made up of more than two segments to either cover a longer length or to enable the segments to be shorter.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative storage position of the juxtaposed assembly where a niche 15 on one of the support sections 2 is located onto the wall plate hook 16 whereby the two arms are positioned against the support surface 7.

FIG. 10 shows the fixed wall plate 3 attached to the support surface 7 when the clothesline assembly has been removed.

It is possible with this invention is to provide multiple wall plate sets so the user of this clothesline can manipulate the location to suit the best drying conditions depending on the weather. For example, one set of wall plates may be used out-doors and another for undercover areas. Multiple wall plate sets will also be useful, for example, in drying rooms or areas of restricted length parameters, where wall plate sets at different height settings for numerous drying levels can be altered or manipulated when so desired. For example the lower positioned clothesline can be placed flat against the wall when there is a need to hang longer items on the upper clothesline level.

It is also possible with this invention to have multiple wall plates at different height settings to allow for different user height requirements. This may also include users who may be handicapped, for example, people in wheel chairs, the elderly or such like.

It will thus be appreciated that this invention at least in the form of the embodiment described comprises a novel and useful improvement to clotheslines. Clearly however the example disclosed is the only currently preferred form of this invention and a wide variety of modifications might be made which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example while it currently preferred that the extension arms and spreader bars are made from steel tube with support section made of moulded glass filled nylon and the wall plate of pressed sheet metal, other materials of fabrication may be used. The shape and configuration of the extension arm support sections and wall plates may also be changed according to design preference.

For the purposes of the specification expressions such as “vertically” & “horizontally” etc. refer to the device in a position of use as illustrated and not be read as necessarily limiting. 

1. A removable clothesline having at least two arms with respective wall plates for fixing to a support wall, said arms having outer free ends and inner base sections which in use of the clothesline removably engage said wall plates in a manner whereby the arms extend from said support wall at spaced apart locations to deploy at least one clothesline cord therebetween and said arms upon removal being adapted for placement in a side-by-side storage configuration with the free end of at least one of said arms locating in an aperture in the inner base section of another of said arms.
 2. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base sections are formed with tapered slots which in use of the clothesline facilitate engagement with mating protrusions on said wall plates to hold said base sections against vertical displacement on said support wall.
 3. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 2 wherein said slots are formed with a double taper to additionally clamp said base sections horizontally against the support wall upon engagement with said protrusions
 4. The removable clothesline structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one base section is formed with a niche on an upper face thereof whereby said arms when in said storage configuration can be hung against said support wall using hooks on said wall plates.
 5. The removable clothesline structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said structure further includes at least one spreader bar which in use of the clothesline structure extends between said arms to maintain spacing thereof.
 6. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 5 wherein said spreader bar is attached to said arms by saddle plugs at each end.
 7. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 5 wherein said spreader bar comprises a plurality of segments for ease of storage and to adapt said bar to a range of spacings between said arms.
 8. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 7 wherein said segments are removably joined by at least one inner tube which is fixed in one segment and is a sliding fit into another segment.
 9. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one clothesline cord is attached to said arms by means of clamp plates fixed with screws.
 10. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 1 wherein said arms at one position of use of said clothesline extend perpendicularly from said support wall.
 11. The removable clothesline as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wall plates are adapted for attachment to said support wall using mechanical fasteners such a screws or bolts. 